Thursday, April 30, 2015

April

"April come she will... when
streams are ripe and swelled with rain..." so wrote musical genius Paul
Simon a century ago. (It feels like a hundred years some times)

Wouldn't
it be a treat if April showers really brought May flowers? But after a
week of heavy rain which clogged our gutter, it brought the gift which
keeps on giving --- mosquitos. It also gave way to summer temperatures
around the 30 plus degree mark . July in April... too soon.

April showers show off the newly whitewashed security wall (miray), a surprise by staff for our visitor.

Our gutter was clogged ... a haven for mosquitos.

Lakay Jasmine in
Sen Rafayel welcomed new staff member Elanie, a former student who will
return to school in the fall to complete Philo. She fit in like an old
pair of shoes - comfortable and familiar.

Welcome Elanie, newest staff member. Here she prepares kasav, a flatbread.We have it made inCap-Haitien and truck it up weekly.

Our clinic, run
by Nurse Gaby is open on Thursdays but Gaby is on site the rest of the
week working with our senior students getting them ready to write State
National exams in July. In addition to diagnosis and treatment, much of
Gaby's job is education. The kids are comfortable with him and trust
him. I'll be looking for Malaria testing equipment in June. We don't
need a full lab but that will help.

Gaby checks Furmancia's blood pressure. Tansyon is a problem for many ages.

If there is a medical emergency, Gaby is on site5 days a week. Here some Gr 9 students prep for exams.

At Lakay Fondasyon in Cap-Haitien,
similar activities. We are on the look out for another staff member as
the staff are stretched very thin, especially when I am out of the
country.

Dieugrand works with high school students Celine and Melane on ahomework assignment. Computers are becominga must at all grade levels.

Lusnot works with 2nd year nursing student Myriame.

The
clinic in Sen Rafayel is proving to be an asset. With no nurse in
Cap-Haitien, we deal with emergencies as best we can and staff are
becoming adept at first aid. Fatia and 4 year old sister Maniella were
injured when an allegedly drunken driver slammed his gravel truck into a
taptap. We sent them to Milot hospital next day. All soft tissue
damage. We had applied ice and Arnica cream and tablets. They are still
stiff but getting there.

Ice and Arnica for accident victim Fatia.

Wednesday Inea
came in for a dental referral - a filling had fallen out and she was in
pain. We sent her to Dr. T. who works at Justinien as well as private
practice. Instead of just replacing the filling, she noticed a cyst on
the roof of Inea's mouth and proceeded to cut it out. Inea had no one
with her and somehow made it to our door before collapsing. We kept her
here for 2 nights. Her face was still very swollen . Joceline stayed
over and to-gether we provided the care she needed. Yesterday Auguste
and I delivered her to the tikay she lives in by herself. The next week
she ended up in the hospital in Milot on IV. Thank goodness Gaby was
available for a home visit. We agreed it was yet another reason multiple
student housing is important. It would have provided her with the
support she needed yet able to stay in her own bed. Fritzman has told us
he found a house for rent with 4 bedrooms near the Semi-Lycee which 14
of our students attend. We checked it out and hope that we can bring in
some of our students who have a 5 mile trek to and from school each day
as well as 2 of our boys who have recently lost their housing.

Inea would
benefit as well as her place floods when it rains. When she is well
enough, we will take her to see it. If she is ok with the move, we'll
rent , clean and paint and move them in.

Joceline and Senkyeme look after Inea post dental surgery.

We are still a community of readers -- our new admissions read with as much thirst as do our seniors.

Fritzman - new glasses, headaches gone

Travel
up and down the mountain takes longer and longer for many reasons. At
Easter we were held up by a band of RARA musicians looking for money.
It's not quite as aggressive as Kanaval but still demands one hand over
money.

A RARA band stops traffic on the mountainand demands money. It only happens at Easter.

This
week it was another protest on the bridge. In a previous blog, I wrote
about the houses and businesses that were torn down along Airport Rd.
in order that the 'tourists' could see the water when they drive in from
the airport. This 'manifestation' was those displaced. Many came with
their bedmats strapped to their backs and laid down on the bridge.

All
one can do is wait it out. Police presence means a lot as far as
resolution of the protest. It doesn't provide solutions for those
displaced but usually brings about an end to the activity.

A
trip up or down the mountain used to take about 2 hours. With all the
stops we now make, that has changed our schedules. Our trusty Nissan
truck is now recognized on the mountainside and people stop us and ask
for help with animals, schooling, food , free ride to the market - you
name it. Sometimes we can accommodate.

One of these dogs had been severely cut by a machete, the other was blind.

We provided food and an antibacterial vet. spray to clean the wound.

Natalie's big brother touched my sandals and said he liked them, he didn't have shoes.

We bought 10 pair in the market in Sen Rafayel but none fit Natalie or sister Esmonia.

Now that we are posting on Facebook
several time a week, I had intended to try to write a monthly blog -
several entries each week. You know about good intentions. It is now
April 30, 1:17 pm. We have had electricity for an hour. I'm writing as
fast as I can. A month goes by in the blink of an eye.The shoes we purchase in the Cap market were a good fit. Dieugrand delivered them the next trip.

It is now 2:17 and the electricity has
been gone for about 20 minutes. This battery isn't holding a good
charge any more. Which brings me to the end of the month.

When I began to write, we had enjoyed (?) rain and temps
had soared to the 30's. A month later, not a drop of precip and temps in
the 40's every day. Summer in April. Heat exhaustion, dehydration,
sunstroke are all making appearances along with the usual list of
characters - Malaria, Typhoic, HPylori, Cholera, EColi ....

We've started making frozen water bottles to distribute
and are giving out baseball caps and sunglasses to help. Fritzman, Fatia
and Camiose display their caps and glasses.

I'm telling myself it can't get any hotter - but
experience tells me I know it can.Talk to you in May when I will have
some REALLY BIG NEWS!

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